Aerial advertising apparatus.



No. 739,127. PATENTED SEPT. 15, 1903.

A. WARD & W. S. YOUNG.

AERIAL ADVERTISING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 29. 1903.

NO MODEL.

YNE NORRIS UNITED ST TES:

Patented September 15, 1903.

, PATENT OFFICE.

EDWARD ALFONS O WARD AND WARNER SHERWOOD YOUNG, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNORS TO MID-AIR EXHIBITION AND ADVERTISING COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

AERIAL ADVERTISING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 739,127, dated September 15, 1903.

Application filed May 29,1903. Serial No. 159,252. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, .EDWARD ALFONSO WARD and WARNER SHERWOOD YOUNG, residing at New York,in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Aerial Advertising Apparatus; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact disclosure of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

Our invention relates to aerial apparatus whereby advertising matter and other information may be attractively displayed; and the object of our invention is to provide a. simple and reliable means whereby such apparatus may be safely supported and conveniently operated at a distance from the surface of the earth. 7

Our invention also involves numerous and other novel details of structure and arrangement of parts, all as hereinafter fully described, and particularly pointed out in the appended claim.

Referring to the accompanying sheet of drawings, which forms apart of this application, Figure 1 is an illustration of a form of our invention, and Fig. 2 is a detail of the swivel connection.

Ais a balloon of any suitable type, to which car to assume an angle with respect of the board without tilting the latter, as well as to permit them'to rotate without turning the board. The link or links, moreover, are of such length that the balloon may be lowered to receive passengers at one side of the board when the latter is resting upon the ground or platform.

The sign-board is provided with supporting-feet O for the purpose of holding it upright upon the platform, and it will be observed that the linkF is detachably secured to the strap G, so that different kinds of signs may be suspended from the balloon.

When the apparatus is to be used at night, we prefer a changeable electric sign of the composite monogram type, in which certain predetermined combinations of the incandes cent lamps of each of several monograms may be illumined to display various letters or characters, and thus spell out the necessary information. These signs are now Well known and therefore do not require extended description, it being sufficient to state that the frame G is constructed of light material, but which is sufficiently strong to withstand the strain to which it is subjected. The several monograms may be disposed upon both faces of the board, if desired, a suitable screen being provided to prevent interference of the dis plays upon the opposite sides.

The apparatus above described is anchored to the ground or operating-platform by means of two steel cables, which may also serve to conduct the current to the board, if desired. When the said cables are utilized as conductors, they maybe attached to the board at points near its ends by means of strain-insw lators II, as shown, from which they extend through suitable leader-blocks to separate winding-drums, which latter are capable of independent motion and control from the motor M. Strain-insulatorsas indicated by H, are articles of manufacture and well known in the electric-railway and electric-lightin g arts. They generally comprise a couple of bolts or links mechanically united to resist longitudinal strain,but electricallyseparated, so as tointerrupt the continuity of the our rent-conducting path.

While two conducting-cables are shown in the present drawings and are preferred for reasons presently explained, it is to be understood that our invention also contemplates the use of independent conductors for the current, in which case a single cable may be employed, as desired, for the purpose of holding the balloon captive. It will be noted,

however, that two securing-cables capable of independent control, whether they be conductive or not, permit an adjustment of the sign-board, so that it may be held substantially horizontal, regardless of the inclination which may be taken by the balloon. A similareifect could obviously be secured by means of winding drums 'on a single shaft, but spaced apart a distance equal to the distance between the points of attachment of the cables to the board. 4

In the construction illustrated the securing-cables are insulated from the board 0 by means of the insulators H, as described, and electrical conductors O 0 lead from points just below the insulators to a sign-controlling apparatus I and also to a motor J, as indicated. These devices are both Well known in their relation to changeable signs and need not be explained or illustrated in detail, it being sufficient to note that the motor receives current from the cables and actuates the controlling apparatus, which in turn connects the predetermined combinations of lamps into the circuit to form the desired words or signs. The parts I and J may be mounted upon a plate or bracket on the board and are preferably disposed in line with its point of suspension and center of gravity.

In cases where it is desired that the sign be controlled manually by an operator in the car a flexible cable extension I leads to a I manual keyboard, as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 1; but for ordinary occasions we prefer the automatic sign-changer above described, and we prefer to supply the same With current from a generator upon the ground, though of course a suspended storage batterycould be used with practical effect for short lengths of time. WVe also prefer to decorate the balloon by means of pennants and streamers, and for this purpose We secure to the rim of the car 13 a ring L, to which the halyards N may be fastened.

Having thus described our invention, what we desire to claim is An aerial advertising apparatus comprising a balloon and changeable electric sign suspended therefrom by means of a swiveledlink connection, a sign-changing apparatus and electric motor for operating the same secured to said sign-board, in combination with independently controlled current conducting cable's connected at different points to said sign-board, strain-insulators in said cables and winding apparatus for controlling the elevation of the said balloon.

In witness whereof we aflix our signatures in the presence of two witnesses.

EDWARD ALFONSO WARD. IVARNER SHERIVOOD YOUNG.

Vitnesses:

WALTER A. VAN NEss, FRANCES FROMM. 

